“Mama!” Joanna came rushing into the dining room. “When is Spring Festival?!”

My younger daughter has been particularly invested in calendars this year, in knowing what the next holiday is. She includes President’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day…anything that could be reasonably construed as a Day That Is Different. Some of it, I think, is about specialness, that human desire to have a break from routine (which often includes a break from school!). And some of it is about figuring out her place in the many holidays she sees people celebrating around her.

That became clear on one of our walks to school, when Joanna started asking whether Winter Festival and Spring Festival and Stone Soup–the WES celebrations–were “real” holidays.

Of course, this is when it’s maybe a challenge being the child of a clergy person. She got a long response about religion’s function sociologically in human lives, and the way that all religion is created, just created at different times and therefore imbued with different levels of “realness” within society’s standards. I think I avoided actually using the word existentialism, but I definitely talked about how in a humanist community we create our own meaning, and our own traditions. So WES’ holidays are real in every sense that is important to me, because they capture real emotion and real human need to celebrate and mark the passage of the year.

It’s possible she mostly wanted to know if she got off from school that day. But I like to think she was also asking about what makes a holiday feel real, what makes it feel deep enough and meaningful enough. And of course my answer to that (as you might guess!) isn’t federal recognition or centuries of tradition. It’s the people–the ones who give it meaning by showing up, by repeating it the next year, by making it different each year, by decorating the space and sharing a meal and singing songs together.

So I hope you’ll join Joanna–and me–in the excitement that Spring Festival is soon! In fact, this coming Sunday, March 25. Bring a flower for the flower arch, and a dish to share. Be prepared to ooh and aah over babies, share cake and mimosas or juice between platforms and a brunch (with games and chalk art!) at 1pm, and just enjoy the experience of being together.  If you’re wanting to really be part of the creation, let me know and you can help pour that juice or set up the flower arch!

Come make a real holiday with us.

(This story is shared with Joanna’s permission)

Warmly,

Amanda